Road test technician 'took bribes to pass cars unfit to be on the road'

Two men are accused of bribery and forgery for accepting money for passing non-roadworthy cars in annual vehicle tests.

A 31-year-old Pakistani driver is said to have offered bribes of between Dh150 and Dh600 to the 23-year-old Indian technician at a car testing centre in Umm Ramool, Dubai.

The Pakistani allegedly told prosecutors that he would take up to Dh2,000 from friends and then offer a lesser amount to the technician to pass their cars for him. It is claimed they did this with 10 vehicles that were unfit to be on the road before police received a tip-off about the ruse and investigated.

Dubai Criminal Court heard on Thursday that officers used a 24-year-old Pakistani to set up a trap to arrest the two defendants.

The man was tasked with contacting the first defendant and asking him to issue a pass certificate for his car, despite it having damaged tyres. The Pakistani took him to the car registration facility in Umm Ramool.

A pass certificate was issued for the vehicle on February 7 and police arrested the Indian and Pakistani at the scene.

The Pakistani did not show up in court, while the Indian denied any wrongdoing.